Working from Home : Basics (part 1)

Working from home was once a luxury and it is now a reality among large companies and small businesses. I've been working from home on and off for years. If you are new to this model, here are a few basic things you should consider.

Get a good headset

There is one single piece of equipment, only one , that you should invest when starting to work at home. A good headset.

Working from home means conference calls. That means a lot of background noise. There's noise in your environment. There's noise in everyone else's environment. This is a potential distraction at best - and a living hell at worst.

You can no longer hop to the person's desk to talk to them. So the top priority is to hear them well and be heard well.

"I will use my regular phone", you may say. If you have a very low volume of calls with very short length, sure. But more than a couple of calls a day or anything longer than 30 minutes will make you rethink that decision.

So don't be cheap. Don't think it's not worth the money. Don't be petty. Buy a decent headset!

There are a lot of good headsets out there. It depends on you budget, compatible hardware/software and many other variables. But consider two things before buying:

• Noise cancelling microphone. This feature is what will cut down unwanted background noise.
• Comfortable headband and ear cups. Look for the padded headbands and ear cushions, thick and soft. You should be able to comfortably keep them on for at least a couple of hours.

Everything else is extra.

For reference, I've been using Logitech USB Headset H390 for years before I upgraded to the G432 model. Simple, affordable and it does the job.

Keep the infrastructure running

You know what is worse than a noisy call? A choppy call.

You know, the audio echoes and cuts out? And you can see the person on the other end doing a very awkward version of "the robot"? That happens because of bad Internet connection. But not always.

A few things to try before upgrading your Internet plan:

• Make sure your video conferencing tool is up-to-date. Companies like Cisco and Microsoft improve their products with each new version. That means they get better at video and audio quality processing. If youre still running it two versions behind, youll get the same crappy quality you had two versions ago.
• Don't overload your link with heavy data transfers. That torrent you're downloading? Pause it. That huge file you have to upload? Pick another time to do it.
• Check the Wi-Fi. Interference is much more likely to happen through air than copper. If the Wi-Fi router is near an interference source the connection can get unstable. Watch out for microwave ovens, power cords and other Wireless/Bluetooth equipment. Wired connection is more consistent but then you lose mobility around the house.
• Tune the router's Quality of Service. This is the last resort for the heavy users of video chatting. Configure the router to reserve part of the bandwidth for the video conf application. This should have the same effect as shutting down other programs that eat up your bandwidth. Note that not all routers have this setting.

Always have options

You have the nicest Internet plan and the company gave you all brand-new equipment. All good, right? No, problems can still happen.

Do you have options?

• Do you have a second Internet link? Use a second link from a different service provider and use a different technology. Turning a mobile phone into a router to use its 4G connection is a good start.
• Is your mobile phone ready for emergencies? See the previous item. A good data plan can get you places. But more than that, install the mobile version of the apps you use on the computer. This will work around some hardware/software problems.
• Is there any part of your work that can be done offline? Depending on what you do, it may not be possible, and it sounds counter-intuitive. Consider synchronizing your local folder or even going to pen&paper for some tasks.

Use the tools that work best for you

Tools don't matter. Let me say it again. TOOLS DON'T MATTER.

I could go on about the various tools I use working from home. The ones that are the best, how to setup a good environment, etc. This is useless if the tools I pick are not the ones you need.

If you are transitioning from office to home, you already have a set of tools that enable you to work. Learning how to use those tools is the best you can do now. Don't overload yourself trying to change too many things at the beginning.

Know how to ask for help

All the tips I gave so far were technical. You can be a non-technical person or a tech wizard, you will seek help at some point. And yes, asking technical questions take some effort. Well-asked questions receive much better answers, quicker.

How to ask a technical question:

• Research first. Ensure you've done the proper research to try to solve your problem without having to ask. Reading the manual and/or browsing the FAQ is the least you can do. This prevents asking the same questions over and over, and educates you to ask a better question.
• Write a good title. Use text that is precise, specific, and describes the problem. "Help ME!!!!" gives no sign of what your question is about.
• Give as much information as possible. Include a clear description of the issue you're facing or goal you're trying to achieve. Include as much specific relevant information as you can:
  • What are the exact steps you used before the error occurred?
  • If you're getting an error message, include it.
  • Have you made any recent changes?
  • What software version are you using?
  • Is the hardware you're using a factor?
• Be nice. There is another human being on the other side. Rude language will not solve your problem. Flagging your question as URGENT will not make it go any quicker.